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Men's Basketball

UMass Dartmouth Earns Top Billing In Men's Basketball Preseason Poll

Nov 16, 2009

NORTH DARTMOUTH, Mass. – The University
of Massachusetts Dartmouth has been projected as the favorite to
win the 2009-10 Little East men’s basketball regular-season
crown after each of the conference’s eight coaches voted in
the annual preseason poll. The Corsairs sit atop the coaches’
survey for the first time since the start of the 2002-03 season
after receiving six first-place votes and 62 total points.

Rhode Island College earned the remaining two first-place votes and
51 total points to edge Western Connecticut State University (49)
for the No. 2 seed. Plymouth State University received 40 points to
complete the top-half of the preseason standings.

Under the direction of Head Coach Brian Baptiste, UMass Dartmouth
matched the program record for single-season victories (27) since
the inception of the Little East with an overall mark of 27-4. The
Corsairs captured the program’s 11th Little East Men’s
Basketball Tournament Championship after upsetting the top-seeded
Anchormen in the finals, 62-53, to raise the championship trophy
for the first time since 2001. Baptiste led his charges to the NCAA
Division III sectional semifinals after defeating Baruch (82-72)
and WPI (81-68). With all four of their top scorers returning,
UMass Dartmouth is ranked inside the top-10 in each of the two most
prominent preseason publications—Division III Sporting News
(6th) and D3Hoops.com (8th). UMass Dartmouth will face a
challenging schedule with four teams—Bridgewater State
(11th), Brandeis University (22nd), Rhode Island College (RV), and
Salem State College (RV)—currently ranked or receiving votes
in the D3Hoops.com Preseason Top 25 Poll. The Corsairs will tip-off
the season at 7 p.m. on Nov. 17, when UMass Dartmouth hosts Johnson
and Wales University.

Rhode Island College advanced to the NCAA Division III Tournament
for the third consecutive campaign in 2009 after posting an overall
record of 23-6. The Anchormen established a new record for
victories inside the conference circuit with a 13-1 mark, putting
an additional win between the 2007 squad. Rhode Island College
earned the top seed and right to host the annual conference
tournament championship for the second time in the past three
years. Head Coach Bob Walsh returns seven student-athletes from
last winter, including All-Little East first-team selection Antone
Gray (Providence, R.I.). Gray piloted the fast-pace Anchormen
attack, handing out a 116 assists and scoring 10.8 points per game.
Rhode Island College will open the 2010 season on Nov. 15 at 1
p.m., when they travel to Springfield College.

In 2009, Western Connecticut (14-12) reached the Little East
Men’s Basketball Tournament semifinal round for the first
time since 2005. The sixth-seeded Colonials recorded the lone upset
in the quarterfinal round, when they edged the third-seeded
Panthers, 58-56. Head Coach Bob Campbell will welcome back eight
players from last season, including four starters. Sophomore guard
Daquan Brooks (Bristol, Conn.) is the top-returning offensive
threat for Western Connecticut. Brooks, the 2009 Little East Rookie
of the Year, averaged 13.7 points per game during his rookie
campaign. The Colonials begin the 2010 schedule on Nov. 15, when
Western Connecticut travels to Cobleskill State for a 2 p.m.
tip-off.

The top-six teams in the final regular season standings will
advance to the 2010 Little East Men’s Basketball Tournament
Championship with the two highest seeded squads earning a first
round bye into the semifinals. The No. 1 seed will host both
semifinal round contests on Feb. 27 with the two winners meeting in
the championship round the following afternoon. The Little East
champion will earn the automatic qualifier into the NCAA Division
III Tournament.

Completing the order in projected order of finish in the final
regular season standings are Eastern Connecticut State University
(35), Keene State College (26), University of Massachusetts Boston
(15), and the University of Southern Maine (10).

Initially formed in 1986 as a six-team men's and women's basketball
conference, the Little East Conference will begin its 24th
sponsored season in 2009-2010. Western Connecticut State University
joined the conference in 1993-1994, while Keene State College
raised its current membership to eight teams in 1997-1998.